Investing our time in a community group is essential because community groups help move us from independence to interdependence in a way that cultivates Christ-likeness...

This week we have been talking about why we believe it is essential for us to be consistently investing our time in a community group. And to do that, we have been looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Galatians.

So far we have seen Paul reveal for us the reality that a lifestyle that embraces independence inevitably results in the destruction of our relationships with others. As followers of Jesus, we were created not for independence. As followers of Jesus we were created to live a life of dependence upon God and that live sin interdependent relationships with others in community with others.

However, when we turn the freedom that we have as followers of Jesus into a live that is driven by independence instead of interdependence, we will be driven to live selfish, narcissistic lives. We will be driven to please ourselves and place ourselves above others. And as a result, such a lifestyle of independence and license will eventually destroy and consume the community and connection that we were create for.

Paul then provided the members of the churches of Galatia with a situation: Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass. Paul here is referring to someone who has been caught off guard by the evil and destructive power of selfishness and rebellion and has gotten off track when it comes to their relationship with God because of their irresponsible behavior. 

After revealing the situation, Paul provides the members of the churches of Galatia a command in terms of how they are to respond to the situation. Paul commands those in the churches who are spiritual to restore such a one. When Paul refers to those who are spiritual, he is referring to followers of Jesus that are living their lives in a way that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit and are living responsible lives.

In other words, those who are on track and who are living Spirit-filled, responsible lives as followers of Jesus are to help those who have gotten off track as a result of their irresponsibility get back on track when it comes to their relationship with God.

Paul explained that followers of Jesus have a responsibility to live in community with one another and help one another stay on track and live responsible lives when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. When we see other followers of Jesus get off track, we have the responsibility to lovingly and gently help them get back on track, while at the same time guarding against us getting off track and into irresponsible behavior as well.

Paul also revealed for us the reality that interdependent community enables us to support and encourage one another to live responsible lives. We are responsible to be developing deepening interdependent relationships with one another that strive to support and encourage one another as we live life in community with one another.

When we live in community that is marked by deep, interdependent relationships that strive to support and encourage one another to live responsibly, we reveal and reflect Christ’s character and conduct. We are living in such a way that meets Christ’s standard to love God with our total being and that shows our love for God by how we love and treat others.  However, as Paul continues, we see him confront a potential danger in Galatians 6:3-5. Let’s look at it together:

 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴ But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. ⁵ For each one will bear his own load.

Now verse three, if communicated in the language that we use in our culture today, would sound something like this: “Anyone who thinks that they are somebody when they are a nobody is only deceiving themselves. Just because you have not had a problem with being irresponsible, you are only misleading yourself if you think that you are better than others”. You see, a potential danger arises when we begin to compare our circumstances and struggles with others circumstances and struggles. And that potential danger, according to Paul, is that we become full of ourselves and think we are somebody spiritually.

Instead of deceiving ourselves into thinking that we are somebody when we are nobody, in verse 4 Paul commands the members of the churches of Galatia, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to examine his own work. Paul’s point here is that instead of comparing ourselves with others, we are to focus on whether or not we are living responsible lives that reveal and reflect Jesus in our character and conduct. If their close examination of their lives reveals that they are living a responsible life, Paul explains that they can boast, or take pride, in something. But what they can boast in is only in regard to how they are doing when it comes to meeting the standard of Jesus.

Paul’s point here is that if you want to compare yourself with someone, your comparison is to be against the example of Jesus and not other followers of Jesus.  Paul hammers his point home in verse 5 when he states that “For each one will bear his own load.” Paul’s point here is that at the end of our lives, when we stand before Jesus, there will no comparison of how responsible we were with how responsible other followers of Jesus were. Paul is saying “You better focus on your how responsible you are being instead of comparing yourself with others”.

You see, while independence often leads to comparison with others, interdependence leads to cooperation with others. While independence often leads to one being full of themselves over others, interdependence  leads to one being willing to empty themselves for the sake of others.

And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we discover a timeless truth as to why it is essential for us as followers of Jesus to be consistently investing our time in a community group. And that timeless truth is this: Investing our time in a community group is essential because community groups help move us from independence to interdependence in a way that cultivates Christ-likeness.

Investing our time in a community group is essential because while we as followers of Jesus have freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, that freedom should not lead to independence. Instead, the freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, should lead to a life of dependence upon God and that lives in interdependent relationships with others in community with others.

Investing our time in a community group is essential because when we live in community that is marked by deep, interdependent relationships that strive to support and encourage one another to live responsibly, we reveal and reflect Christ’s character and conduct. Investing our time in a community group is essential because when we live in community that is marked by deep, interdependent relationships that strive to support and encourage one another to live responsibly, we can help others from getting off track when it comes to their relationship with Jesus and lovingly help those who have gotten off track get back on track because somebody can see what you can’t see.

Investing our time in a community group is essential because when we live in community that is marked by deep, interdependent relationships that strive to support and encourage one another to live responsibly, we are living in such a way that meets Christ’s standard to love God with our total being and that shows our love for God by how we love and treat others.  Investing our time in a community group is essential because while independence often leads to comparison with others, interdependence leads to cooperation with others. Investing our time in a community group is essential because while independence often leads to one being full of themselves over others, interdependence  leads to one being willing to empty themselves for the sake of others.

That is what we are such big believers in community groups here at City Bible Church. That is why we have as a goal that everyone who attends C.B.C. would be investing their time in a community group. Community is not optional. Community is critical, because what you do is not optional, it is critical.

We believe that the circles that are community groups are betters than the rows of corporate worship gatherings because transformational spiritual growth occurs in community with others where those supportive and encouraging relationships can be developed where people can take that next step in their relationship with Jesus wherever you are at in that relationship with Jesus. And, as a church, we believe that the earlier the better when it comes to community groups. That is why we have community groups for every age and stage of life here at City Bible Church.

And here is the thing: If you wait to get in a community group until you need it, you will not have community when you need it. And when you are in close community as part of a community group, community is already there for you when you need them to be there for you.

So with all that in mind, here is a question to consider: When will you take the step to get into the community that you need the most by being a part of a community group?

Because, as we have discovered, investing our time in a community group is essential because community groups help move us from independence to interdependence in a way that cultivates Christ-likeness.

A Call to Interdependence...

This week we are looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Galatians. Yesterday, in Galatians 5:13-15, we looked on as the Apostle Paul turned his attention to the members of the churches of Galatia who were abandoning a gospel centered lifestyle to embrace a lifestyle of license.

Paul responded to those who were embracing such a lifestyle of license by stating that while they were called to freedom; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. In other words, Paul is explaining that while the message of the gospel provides us freedom from the slavery that came about from attempting to do things for God by keeping a list of religious rules for God, we are not to respond to that freedom by allowing our old nature apart from Jesus that is dominated by the evil and destructive power of selfishness, rebellion, and sin to become active and dominate how we live our day to day lives.

Instead of embracing a lifestyle of license that is driven by our old selfish and rebellious nature to please ourselves and place ourselves above others, Paul called the members of the churches of Galatia to through love serve one another. Now the word love here refers to an other-centered warm regard and affection for others that places others before ourselves. When Paul states that we are to serve one another, this word literally means to conduct oneself in total service to another.

Paul revealed for us the reality that a lifestyle that embraces independence inevitably results in the destruction of our relationships with others. While we as followers of Jesus have freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, that freedom should not lead to independence. Instead, the freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, should lead to interdependence.

You see, independence is not a Biblical value. Independence is an American value. Freedom is a Biblical value. Interdependence is a Biblical value. As followers of Jesus, we were created not for independence. As followers of Jesus we were created to live a life of dependence upon God and that live sin interdependent relationships with others in community with others.

However, when we turn the freedom that we have as followers of Jesus into a live that is driven by independence instead of interdependence, we will be driven to live selfish, narcissistic lives. We will be driven to please ourselves and place ourselves above others. And as a result, such a lifestyle of independence and license will eventually destroy and consume the community and connection that we were create for.

Now, a natural question that could arise here is “Well Dave, if that is the case, then what does the interdependence that you are talking about look like? What does such community and connection look like?” If that question is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great question. And just a few verses later, we see Paul begin to provide the answers to those questions. So let’s discover those answers together, beginning in Galatians 6:1:

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

Here we see Paul provide the members of the churches of Galatia with a situation: Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass. Paul here is referring to someone who has been caught off guard by the evil and destructive power of selfishness and rebellion and has gotten off track when it comes to their relationship with God because of their irresponsible behavior. 

After revealing the situation, Paul provides the members of the churches of Galatia a command in terms of how they are to respond to the situation. Paul commands those in the churches who are spiritual to restore such a one. When Paul refers to those who are spiritual, he is referring to followers of Jesus that are living their lives in a way that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit and are living responsible lives.

In other words, those who are on track and who are living Spirit-filled, responsible lives as followers of Jesus are to help those who have gotten off track as a result of their irresponsibility get back on track when it comes to their relationship with God. But notice how Paul says that followers of Jesus who are responsible are to help those who have gotten off track as a result of their irresponsibility get back on track when it comes to their relationship with God.

First, Paul explains that we are to display a spirit of gentleness as we come alongside those who have gotten off track as a result of their irresponsibility that was caused by selfishness and rebellion. In other words, followers of Jesus are not to use their Bibles like a sledgehammer to beat the person who has gotten off track back on track. Instead, for the person who has gotten knocked off track by their irresponsibility, we are to lovingly and gently come alongside and guide them and encourage them in a way that results in them getting back on track.

Second, Paul explains that we are to be “looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”  Now if Paul was making this statement in the language we use in our culture today, this statement would sound something like this: “As you are helping those who have gotten off track get back on track, pay attention and look out that you don’t end up being enticed by your old nature apart from Jesus that is dominated by selfishness and rebellion so that you don’t end up off track as well.”

Paul here is revealing for us the reality that followers of Jesus have a responsibility to live in community with one another and help one another stay on track and live responsible lives when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. When we see other followers of Jesus get off track, we have the responsibility to lovingly and gently help them get back on track, while at the same time guarding against us getting off track and into irresponsible behavior as well. Paul continues to unpack the responsibility that followers of Jesus have in community with one another in verse 2:

 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

Here we see Paul command the members of the churches of Galatia, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to bear one another’s burdens. Now this command conveys the sense of sustaining and supporting one another through the difficulties that come about as we follow Jesus here on earth. And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that interdependent community enables us to support and encourage one another to live responsible lives.

We are responsible to be developing deepening interdependent relationships with one another that strive to support and encourage one another as we live life in community with one another. Paul then reveals for us the reality that when we experience those deep, interdependent relationships that support and encourage one another to live responsibly, the result is that we fulfill the law of Christ.

Paul’s point here is that when we live in community that is marked by deep, interdependent relationships that strive to support and encourage one another to live responsibly, we reveal and reflect Christ’s character and conduct. We are living in such a way that meets Christ’s standard to love God with our total being and that shows our love for God by how we love and treat others. 

However, as Paul continued his letter, we see him confront a potential danger. Friday we will discover that potential danger together…

Is independence a value that Jesus embraces?

At the church where I serve, we gather every week in community so that we can create the space to explore faith, grow in our faith, and experience genuine and authentic community. As a church, we desire to create environments where you can move on a spiritual journey from the place of being a consumer who is either searching and shopping for answers when it comes to Jesus and the Bible or who view that church as a place that provides spiritual goods and services, to the place where you are an owner who owns and genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus and where you can move from the place of being an owner to being an investor who is investing their time, talents and treasure in the kingdom mission that we have been given.

Every week, we express that our goal is that everyone who attends here at City Bible Church would be investing their time in a community group, their talents serving God by serving others on a ministry team, and investing their treasure in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus through regular and proportional giving. So this week I would like for us to spend our time together talking about why we believe it is essential for us to be consistently investing our time in a community group.

And to do that, I would like for us to look at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of Galatians. The book of Galatians was written by a man that we know today as the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul, who once persecuted early followers of Jesus, became the greatest missionary of the early church after to his encounter with Jesus Christ after He had been raised from the dead on the Damascus Road, which we read about in Acts 9.

After that encounter with the resurrected Jesus, Paul was given the unique role and gifting to be the messenger that would deliver God’s new message to the world regarding Jesus Christ and message of the gospel. Paul was sent by Jesus with a message from Jesus as His representative to the churches of Galatia.

These were churches that Paul had previously planted in Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystre, and Derbe during his first missionary journey, which is recorded for us in Acts 13-14. These churches were located in the southern section of Asia Minor, or modern day Turkey.

After Paul had planted these churches and returned from his missionary journey, he decided to write this letter to these churches around 48 A.D., which was within 20 years of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. So, with this background information in mind, let’s jump into this section of this letter together, beginning in Galatians 5:13-15:

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Paul begins this section of his letter by turning his attention to the members of the churches of Galatia who were abandoning a gospel centered lifestyle to embrace a lifestyle of license. As we have talked about in the past, a lifestyle of license maintains that as a result of God’s grace, we can do whatever we want and still be right with God. For the lifestyle of license, the idea that forgiveness and a right relationship with God is solely based on placing one’s confident trust in what God has done for us through Jesus seems to give us license.

Paul responded to those who were embracing such a lifestyle of license by stating that while they were called to freedom; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. In other words, Paul is explaining that while the message of the gospel provides us freedom from the slavery that came about from attempting to do things for God by keeping a list of religious rules for God, we are not to respond to that freedom by allowing our old nature apart from Jesus that is dominated by the evil and destructive power of selfishness, rebellion, and sin to become active and dominate how we live our day to day lives.

You see, Paul knew something that we all need to know, which is that when we allow our old nature apart from Jesus that is dominated by selfishness and rebellion to dominate our lives we will lives selfish, narcissistic lives. We will be driven to please ourselves and place ourselves above others.

Instead of embracing a lifestyle of license that is driven by our old selfish and rebellious nature to please ourselves and place ourselves above others, Paul called the members of the churches of Galatia to through love serve one another. Now the word love here refers to an other-centered warm regard and affection for others that places others before ourselves. When Paul states that we are to serve one another, this word literally means to conduct oneself in total service to another.

Paul then reinforces his call in verse 14 by pointing to a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament letter called the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 19:18, we see God command the Jewish people to love their neighbor as yourself. Paul’s point here is that the entire Old Testament is summed up and fulfilled when we love God with our total being and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Think of it this way: If we loved God with our total being and loved our neighbor as ourselves, would we break any of God's rules? Would we lie? Cheat? Steal? Sleep around on our spouses? You see, a selfless, other-centered love completes the Law; a life driven by love will be a life that fulfills the Law’s requirements.

However, Paul explains “But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” With this phrase, Paul is painting a word picture of the discomfort and destruction that results when we engage in selfish and spiteful strife. When we are involved in division and dissension that arises from the selfishness that flows from a lifestyle of license, the result is that we can tear one another to pieces, can’t we? That is the word picture Paul is painting here.

And it is this word picture that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that a lifestyle that embraces independence inevitably results in the destruction of our relationships with others. While we as followers of Jesus have freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, that freedom should not lead to independence. Instead, the freedom from the slavery that comes from attempting to keep a list of religious rules for God in order to experience a right relationship with God, should lead to interdependence.

You see, independence is not a Biblical value. Independence is an American value. Freedom is a Biblical value. Interdependence is a Biblical value. As followers of Jesus, we were created not for independence. As followers of Jesus we were created to live a life of dependence upon God and that live sin interdependent relationships with others in community with others.

However, when we turn the freedom that we have as followers of Jesus into a live that is driven by independence instead of interdependence, we will be driven to live selfish, narcissistic lives. We will be driven to please ourselves and place ourselves above others. And as a result, such a lifestyle of independence and license will eventually destroy and consume the community and connection that we were create for.

Now, a natural question that could arise here is “Well Dave, if that is the case, then what does the interdependence that you are talking about look like? What does such community and connection look like?”

If that question is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a great question. And just a few verses later, we see Paul begin to provide the answers to those questions.

Tomorrow we will discover the answers to those questions…

We experience true community with God and others when we find our identity in what Jesus offers, not what the world offers...

This week we have been looking at a section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John. So far this week we have looked on as John revealed the qualities of faith that should be evident in all followers of Jesus.

We looked on as John commanded the readers of this letter, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to not love the world or the things of the world. When John uses the phrase the world, he is referring to everything in the world system around us that is hostile to God and that sets itself up in opposition to God and the kingdom of God.

John then revealed three different worldviews that come from the world system that sets themselves in opposition to God and the kingdom of God that compete with God for our devotion. One worldview that desires to find fulfillment through physical pleasure is called sensualism. A second worldview that desires to satisfy our longing for possessions, which is called materialism. The third worldview that desires to satisfy our ego which longs to be the center or the star of the story, which we call humanism.

John then explained that all of these worldviews find their origin not from our Heavenly Father, but from the world. The lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life come from the world system that sets itself in opposition to God and the kingdom of God and are led by the devil.

And because the desire for fulfillment through pleasure, possessions, or position are not the way of Jesus, fulfilling these desires fail to fill the empty spaces in our lives. Because these desires do not flow from God’s nature and character, they are unable to fulfill our deepest needs. And the timeless reality is that when we spend our time seeking fulfillment through sex, salary, or status, we spend our time attempting to experience connection and community with sex, salary, and status instead of with Jesus. However, the deepest needs and longings in our lives; our needs for restoration, repair, and relationship can only be never be met by anything or anyone else than through Jesus Christ.

Now a natural question or objection has been raised in your mind. And if we were to have a conversation, the conversation might sound something like this: “Well Dave why can’t sex, salary, and status satisfy the deepest needs and desires of my life? Why can’t pleasure, possessions, and position fill the empty space in my life?”

If that question and objection is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a fair question. And fortunately for us, we see John provide the response to that question or objection in what he says next. So let’s look at what John says next in 1 John 2:17:

 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

John concludes this section of his letter by stating that the world is passing away. As we looked at last week, the phrase passing away literally means to go out of existence. John is revealing the reality that the world system that sets itself in opposition to God and the kingdom of God, which plays itself out through our rebellious desire to please and worship pleasure, our possessions, or our position, will be brought to an end by God through Jesus.

And because of that reality, the communion and connection that we try to experience through pleasure, possessions, or position will not stand the test of time. In contrast to the world system that sets itself in opposition to God and the kingdom of God, John states that who does the will of God lives forever. John’s point here is that the one is driven by the desire to live their lives according to God’s desires for their lives will continue to experience connection and community with God forever.

John’s point is that the one is driven by the desire to live their lives according to God’s desires for their lives will have the deepest needs and longings in their lives met by Jesus as they live in connection and community with Jesus. John’s point is that the only connection and community that will stand the test of time and that will fill the empty space that we have is Jesus Christ.

And it is here, in this section of this letter, that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to connecting in true community. And that timeless truth is this: We experience true community with God and others when we find our identity in what Jesus offers, not what the world offers. The timeless reality is that we experience true community with God and others when we live in the reality that we have come into a relationship with the Creator of the universe.

As followers of Jesus, we experience true community with God and others when we live in the reality that we have been released from the moral consequences of our acts of omission and commission against God and others that flow from our selfishness and rebellion against God and others. As followers of Jesus, we experience true community with God and others when we live in the reality that we have come into relationship with Jesus Christ as the eternal God and Creator who entered into humanity to have relationship with His creation.

As followers of Jesus, we experience true community with God and others when we live in the reality that we have the victory over Satan and his attempt to keep us from the relationship that we were created for with Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus, we experience true community with God and others when we live in the reality that we have come into relationship with God that is an ongoing reality in our life.

As followers of Jesus, we experience true community with God and others when we live in the reality that we are called to be strong spiritually as a result of the message and teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible remaining ingrained in our life to develop the spiritual strength necessary to fight the ongoing spiritual battles that occur as we live out our day to day life as followers of Jesus here on the earth.

And as followers of Jesus, we experience true community with God and others when we reject the temptation to satisfy our deepest needs and desires through pleasure and sex. As followers of Jesus, we experience true community with God and others when we reject the temptation to satisfy our deepest needs and desires through our possessions and our salary. As followers of Jesus, we experience true community with God and others when we reject the temptation to satisfy our deepest needs and desires through our position and our status.

As followers of Jesus, we experience true community with God and others when we find our identity in what Jesus offers, not what the world offers because what the world offers cannot and will not satisfy the deepest needs and desires for our lives. What the world offers cannot and will not satisfy the deepest needs and desires of our lives because what the world offers does not flow from the nature and character of God. What the world offers cannot and will not satisfy the deepest needs and desires of our lives because what the world offers will not stand the test of time. The only communion and connection that will stand the test of time and that will fill the empty space that we have in our lives is Jesus Christ.

So here is a question to consider: Where are you seeking to find fulfillment? Where are you looking to fill that seemingly empty space in your life? Where are you finding your identity, value, and significance? Are you looking to pleasure and sex? Are you looking to your possessions and salary? Are you looking to your position and status? Or are you looking to Jesus? Only Jesus Christ can provide the true fellowship and fulfillment we are looking for.

Because the timeless reality is that we experience true community with God and others when we find our identity in what Jesus offers, not what the world offers…

3 Views of the World that Compete with God for our Devotion...

This week we are looking at a section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John. In 1 John 2:12-14, John revealed the qualities that are evident in a person who has genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus Christ.

A person who has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus lives in the reality that you have come into a relationship with the Creator of the universe. A person who has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus lives in the reality that you have been released from the moral consequences of our acts of omission and commission against God and others that flow from our selfishness and rebellion against God and others.

A person who has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus lives in the reality that you have come into relationship with Jesus Christ as the eternal God and Creator who entered into humanity to have relationship with His creation. A person who has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus lives in the reality that you have the victory over Satan and his attempt to keep us from the relationship that we were created for with Jesus Christ.

A person who has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus lives in the reality that you have come into relationship with God that is an ongoing reality in your life.  A person who has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus lives in the reality that you are called to be strong spiritually as a result of the message and teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible remaining ingrained in your life to develop the spiritual strength necessary to fight the ongoing spiritual battles that occur as we live out our day to day life as followers of Jesus here on the earth.

Now as followers of Jesus, our identity is that of one who has the victory over Satan and his attempt to keep us from the relationship that we were created for with Jesus Christ. However, while the victory is won, there still is fighting left to do; there are still battles that we will face as followers of Jesus. And as John continues in this section of his letter, we see John turn to those battles. So let’s discover what those battles are together, beginning in 1 John 2:15-16:

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

Here we see John command the readers of this letter, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to not love the world or the things of the world. Now to understand what John is communicating here, we first need to understand what John means when he uses the word world. When John uses the phrase the world, he is referring to everything in the world system around us that is hostile to God and that sets itself up in opposition to God and the kingdom of God.

 In addition, when John uses the word love, this word literally means to have high esteem for or to have high satisfaction with someone or something. This love refers to what we desire to take pleasure in. The object of this love is what we find satisfaction in. This love is what we seek to satisfy our longings and because of that reality, the object of this love is where we find our identity.

And the timeless reality is that those things in the world system around us that are hostile to God and that place themselves in opposition to God compete with God for our total devotion and because of this reality we cannot love both. That is why John states that if we love the world, the love of the Father is not in us.

John reveals three different worldviews that come from the world system that sets themselves in opposition to God and the kingdom of God that compete with God for our devotion. Now when we talk about the idea of a worldview, a worldview is that a worldview is how a person views the world. A worldview is a mental map that tells us how to navigate the world effectively. A worldview is the prism that we look at the world through to help us analyze, interpret and respond to what is occurring around us. And it is in these worldviews that we often seek to find fulfillment. It is in these worldviews that we seek to find value, meaning, significance, and our identity.

The first worldview John reveals that comes from the world system that sets themselves in opposition to God and the kingdom of God that compete with God for our devotion is what John refers to as the lust of the flesh. Now a lust is a desire for something that is forbidden. When John refers to the flesh, he is referring to the part of us that is dominated by a desire to satisfy our rebellious nature through physical pleasure.

This desire to find fulfillment through physical pleasure is called sensualism. People who follow this worldview try to find fulfillment through sex. People who follow sensualism often find themselves trying to fill the empty space in their lives through online pornography or sexual relationships outside of God’s design of marriage.

The second worldview John reveals that comes from the world system that sets themselves in opposition to God and the kingdom of God that compete with God for our devotion is what John refers to as the lust of the eyes. The lust of the eyes is the desire to satisfy our longing for possessions, which we call materialism.

People who follow this worldview try to find fulfillment through their salary. People who follow materialism often find themselves trying to fill the empty space in their lives with possessions, but the reality is that they end up worshipping their possessions instead of the Creator of the universe.

The third worldview John reveals that comes from the world system that sets themselves in opposition to God and the kingdom of God that compete with God for our devotion is what John refers to as is the boastful pride of life. The boastful pride of life is the desire to satisfy our ego which longs to be the center or the star of the story, which we call humanism.

People who follow this worldview try to find fulfillment through their status. People who follow humanism often find themselves trying to fill the empty space in their lives with their status, but the reality is that they end up worshipping their position and status and place themselves above God. 

John then points out that all of these worldviews find their origin not from our Heavenly Father, but from the world. The lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life come from the world system that sets itself in opposition to God and the kingdom of God and are led by the devil.

And because the desire for fulfillment through pleasure, possessions, or position are not the way of Jesus, fulfilling these desires fail to fill the empty spaces in our lives. Because these desires do not flow from God’s nature and character, they are unable to fulfill our deepest needs. And the timeless reality is that when we spend our time seeking fulfillment through sex, salary, or status, we spend our time attempting to experience connection and community with sex, salary, and status instead of with Jesus. However, the deepest needs and longings in our lives; our needs for restoration, repair, and relationship can only be never be met by anything or anyone else than through Jesus Christ.

Now a natural question or objection that could arise here is “Well Dave why can’t sex, salary, and status satisfy the deepest needs and desires of my life? Why can’t pleasure, possessions, and position fill the empty space in my life?”

If that question and objection is running through your mind, I just want to let you know that you are asking a fair question. And fortunately for us, we see John provide the response to that question or objection in what he says next.

Friday we will look at what John says next...

5 qualities evident in the life of one who is Connected to Jesus....

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled Connect. During this series, we are looking at a letter that is recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. During this series, we are going to discover the components that make for true connection and community. During this series, we are going to discover the landmines and roadblocks that keep us from true connection and community. And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands, in a way that moves us to the place where we can experience the connection and community with God and one another that we were created and designed to experience.  

This week I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John, we will see John reveal for us another timeless truth when it comes to how we can experience the connection and community with God and one another that we were created and designed to experience. So let’s jump into the next section of this letter together, beginning in 1 John 2:12-14:

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake. ¹³ I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. ¹⁴ I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Now, to fully understand what John is communicating in these verses, we first need to ask and answer several questions. We need to ask and answer the question “Who are the children? Who are the fathers? Who are the young men?” When it comes to these questions, it is important to understand that there has been great discussion throughout history as to exactly who John was writing to and what he was trying to communicate in these verses.

Over time, four main theories have emerged that have tried to describe who John was addressing and what he was communicating. The first theory holds that the children refer to all Christians, while young men and fathers refers to either the deacons and elders who were in leadership positions in the church or to older and younger men in the church. The problem with this view is that there is overlap in the descriptions of each category. For example, both the children and the fathers have known the Father. All followers of Jesus, by definition, have come to know Him who has been from the beginning. In addition, John does not seem to be addressing the issue of leadership or making a distinction in terms of either chronological age or spiritual maturity as it pertains to leadership.

A second view holds that children, fathers, and young men refer to literal groups in the church. In other words, children refer to those who are in the children’s ministry, young men refers to those in Jr. High and Sr. High, and Fathers refers to those who are in adulthood. However, the order seems to be odd, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t John refer to his readers in either ascending or descending chronological order if he was speaking purely in those terms? Instead, John refers to children, fathers, young men. And then he repeats himself in the exact same out of chronological order.

A third view maintains that children, young men, and fathers are metaphorical terms used to discuss various stages in the Christian experience. In other words, children refer to new Christians who are babes in Christ; young men refer to spiritual adolescents; and fathers refer to spiritually mature followers of Christ. The problem with this view is, just like the previous view, the order is odd for someone who is discussing the different stages of spiritual maturity. In addition, many of the qualities that John speaks of here overlap into multiple groups that he is addressing. Finally, while John often uses a great deal of imagery and metaphor in his writing, he does not seem to be doing so in these verses. These are objective qualities that his readers possess and have obtained.

A fourth and final view, which I lean towards fairly strongly, is that the terms children, fathers, and young men are a figure of speech that was common in the culture of the day that John used to reveal the qualities of faith that should be evident in all followers of Jesus. John here is using a play on words familiar to the culture of the original readers of his letter to explain the qualities that are evident in a person who has genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus Christ.

We see John reveal the first quality that is evident in a person who has genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus Christ in verse 12 when John uses the phrase “because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake.” John is reminding the readers of his letter throughout history that, as followers of Jesus, we have been released from the moral consequences of our acts of omission and commission against God and others that flow from our selfishness and rebellion against God and others as a result of our response to what God has done for us through Jesus life, death and resurrection by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader. And John is reminding the readers of this letter throughout history that as followers of Jesus, God has removed the moral consequences of our selfishness and rebellion so that Jesus reputation would be enhanced as a result of what He has done for us through His life, death, and resurrection.

We see John reveal the second quality that is evident in a person who has genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus Christ in verse 13, when John uses the phrase “because you know Him who has been from the beginning.” John is reminding the readers of this letter throughout history that, as followers of Jesus, we have come to arrive at the knowledge of Him who has been from the beginning. In other words, all followers of Jesus have come into relationship with Jesus Christ as the eternal God and Creator who entered into humanity to have relationship with His creation.

We see John reveal the third quality that is evident in a person who has genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus Christ when John uses the phrase “because you have overcome the evil one.” John’s point here is that followers of Jesus, like young men, should have the strong drive and desire to engage and overcome the evil one as we fight the battles of spiritual warfare in the strength that comes from Jesus. Now a natural question that could arise here is “Who is the evil one?” The evil one refers to the devil.

John’s point here is that, at the moment of our rescue from our selfishness and rebellion when we place our confident trust in Jesus by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader, we obtain victory over the enemy of our souls, Satan. The word overcome is a verb that signifies an action that has ongoing results. John’s point here is that as a follower of Jesus, our identity is that of one who has the victory over Satan and his attempt to keep us from the relationship that we were created for with Jesus Christ. It is important to understand, however, that while the victory is won, there still is fighting left to do. We will see John address this reality in a few verses.

Then, in verse 14 we see John reveal the fourth quality that is evident in a person who has genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus Christ when John uses the phrase “because you know the Father”. John is reminding the readers of his letter throughout history that, as followers of Jesus, we have come to arrive at the knowledge of God the Father. In other words, all followers of Jesus have come into relationship with God that is an ongoing reality in their lives.

John reveals the fifth quality that is evident in a person who has genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God through Jesus Christ when John uses the phrase “because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you”. John is reminding the readers of his letter throughout history that, like young men, followers of Jesus are to be strong and have the word of God abide them.  John’s point is that, as followers of Jesus, we are called to be strong spiritually. John reveals how we become strong spiritually as followers of Jesus by stating that the word of God abides in us.

Now, as we have talked about throughout this series, this idea of abiding refers to someone who does not leave a certain realm or sphere. John’s point is that the message and teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible does not leave the life of a follower of Jesus; they remain ingrained in a person’s life and develops the spiritual strength necessary to fight the ongoing spiritual battles that occur as we live out our day to day life as followers of Jesus here on the earth.

So here is a question to consider: are these the qualities that are evident in your life? Do you live in the reality that you have come into a relationship with the Creator of the universe? Do you live in the reality that you have been released from the moral consequences of our acts of omission and commission against God and others that flow from our selfishness and rebellion against God and others?

Do you live in the reality that you have come into relationship with Jesus Christ as the eternal God and Creator who entered into humanity to have relationship with His creation? Do you live in the reality that you have the victory over Satan and his attempt to keep us from the relationship that we were created for with Jesus Christ? Do you live in the reality that you have come into relationship with God that is an ongoing reality in your life?

Do you live in the reality that you are called to be strong spiritually as a result of the message and teaching of Jesus and the letters that make up the Bible remaining ingrained in your life to develop the spiritual strength necessary to fight the ongoing spiritual battles that occur as we live out our day to day life as followers of Jesus here on the earth?  Are these the qualities that are evident in your life?

Now, as we talked about as few minutes ago, as followers of Jesus, our identity is that of one who has the victory over Satan and his attempt to keep us from the relationship that we were created for with Jesus Christ. However, while the victory is won, there still is fighting left to do; there are still battles that we will face as followers of Jesus.

And as John continues in this section of his letter, we see John turn to those battles. Tomorrow we will discover what those battles are together…

What one's hatred of others reveals about one's connection with God...

This week we have been looking at a section of a letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. In 1 John 2:3-8, we have discovered that timeless truth our obedience to God results in true community with God and others as we grow in our love for God and others.

We have discovered that the person who has a genuine and authentic relationship with God will persist in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus. However, the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is lying to themselves and others. And the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is misleading themselves in way that leads them astray from God and reveals that reality that the truth of God that was communicated to us by Jesus is not in them.

We discovered that as followers of Jesus we are part of the church, which is the body of Christ here on earth. And as followers of Jesus we remain connected to God as we live in obedience to the message and teaching of Jesus as a result of being mystically and spiritually connected with Jesus. John revealed the reality that we know that we are mystically and spiritually connected with Jesus by whether or not we live a life that looks like Jesus. The person who remains connected with God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus will demonstrate a persistent obedience to the teachings of Jesus and a life that is being transformed from a life marked by selfishness and rebellion to a life marked by Christ-likeness and selfless love.

In addition, we discovered that the commands and demands of Jesus find its true expression through the life of Jesus and through the life of followers of Jesus as they remain connected to God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus. In other words, what it looks like to live a life of obedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is revealed by the life of Jesus and the life of followers of Jesus as they faithfully live in obedience to the commands of Jesus in close connection with Jesus.

John then painted a word picture of the sunrise in the morning is designed to remind the readers of his letter throughout history that the light and the love of the kingdom of Heaven have begun to break through the darkness of a world that had been covered in selfishness and rebellion through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the life of followers of Jesus who persist in living a life of obedience to the message and teaching of Jesus.  And as John continues his letter, we see John focus on another claim that those who had left the church and were attempting to get others to leave the church were making. We see this claim in 1 John 2: 9-11:

 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. ¹⁰ The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹ But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Here we see John address those who claimed to be “in the Light and yet hates his brother”. When John refers to “The one who says he is in the light” he is referring to someone who says that they have a relationship and live in connection with God. John is addressing those who had left the church and were attempting to get others to leave the church and who were claiming that one could have close connection with God while living a life that was marked by the hatred of others.

However, John states that the person who claimed that one could have close connection with God while living a life that was marked by the hatred of others was in the darkness until now. John’s point is that that the person who claims to have a relationship and close connection with God and yet hates and detests those around him who are created in the image of God reveals the reality of moral and spiritual darkness in their lives.

By contrast, John explains that the one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. In other words, the one who demonstrates a warm regard and interest in others that is marked by a selflessness in their relationship with others provides the evidence that they are connected with God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus.

And as a result of being connected with God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus, John states that there is “no cause for stumbling”. Now this phrase refers to something that causes offense or revulsion that results in opposition, disapproval, or hostility. John here is revealing the reality that the person who loves their brother or sister reveals the reality of their relationship and connection with God. And it is this selfless love of others horizontally that results in the removal of that which would cause them to break our connection with God vertically.

By contrast, John states in verse 11 that “the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness”. In other words, the person who hates and detests those around him who are created in the image of God are conducting their life in a way that is surrounded by moral and spiritual darkness. And because they are conducting their lives in a way that is surrounded by moral and spiritual darkness, that person “does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” John’s point is that the moral and spiritual darkness that surrounds such a person causes them to be lost and unable to find their way.

One summer during my time at seminary, we took a group of students camping at Mt. Adams in southern Washington State. As part of our trip, we explored some lava tubes. Lava tubes are caves that were formed by lava flows in the past. The particular tube we explored was three miles long. About halfway through the tube, we stopped and turned all the flashlights off and asked the students to be totally quiet. The silence and darkness was overwhelming. I remember thinking that if all the flashlights stopped working, we would never be able to find our way out.

That picture of being totally in the dark is the picture that John is painting here. John paints this picture to point to the reality that the person who hates his brother or sister reveals the reality of their spiritual darkness and their lack of relationship or connection with God. In addition, John here is revealing for us the reality that such spiritual darkness also blinds a person and causes them to be lost, aimless, and unable to find their way to authentic connection with God or His followers as they live life here on earth.

Because, the timeless reality is that our obedience to God results in true community with God and others as we grow in our love for God and others. The person who has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God will persist in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus. And the person who persists in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus will experience a growing love for Jesus and others that will grow to perfection and maturity. 

However, the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is lying to themselves and others. And the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is misleading themselves in way that leads them astray from God and reveals that reality that the truth of God that was communicated to us by Jesus is not in them.

The person who remains connected with God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus will demonstrate a persistent obedience to the teachings of Jesus and a life that is being transformed from a life marked by selfishness and rebellion to a life marked by Christ-likeness and selfless love.   

However, the person who claims to have a relationship and close connection with God and yet hates and detests those around him who are created in the image of God reveals the reality of moral and spiritual darkness in their lives. The person who hates his brother or sister reveals the reality of their spiritual darkness and their lack of relationship or connection with God. And it is this spiritual darkness also blinds a person and causes them to be lost, aimless, and unable to find their way to authentic relationship or connection with God or with His followers as they live life here on earth.

By contrast, the person who loves their brother or sister reveals the reality of their relationship and connection with God. And it is this selfless love of others horizontally that results in the removal of that which would cause them to break their connection with God vertically.

So here is a question for us to consider: What does the level of your obedience to the message and teachings of Jesus reveal about the level of your connection with Jesus? What does how you treat those around you who are created in the image of God reveal about your connection with God?

Because, as John points out, our obedience to God results in true community with God and others as we grow in our love for God and others...